


Highway Patrol

by ClothesBeam



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Vignette, philosophising, robo-racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 13:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21119660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClothesBeam/pseuds/ClothesBeam
Summary: One of these things is just like the others.





	Highway Patrol

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this fic is really just me trying to be serious while bashing my keyboard and muttering ‘matchy matchy colour schemes’ over and over.

Prowl was getting better at telling humans apart. No, really. It was 2039, and he’d been stationed on Earth for the last ten years. Not to mention all the other spates of time he’d spent here. But this thing he’d been partnered with for the mission…

It was made to look human, at least by the standard set by the range human sensors had. And while it clearly wasn’t, by Prowl’s measure it did look a lot like _Witwicky_.

The android—of course there were words specifically for robots that looked human—hadn’t corrected him for referring to it as ‘it’, but that hadn’t stopped the rest of the humans from anthropomorphising it. They seemed to be under the impression it was sentient because it could meet human processing standards. But it was obvious it didn’t have a spark, and that meant it was just a machine. Nothing more than a useful combination of algorithms and robotic parts.

The algorithms that determined its behaviour held similarities to the combat computer in the back of his processor, which thankfully barraged him with its probabilistic computations a little less these days. Except this thing could understand human emotion as well. As far as human technology went, perhaps he could see where all their excitement over it had come from.

Or perhaps he just wanted to believe that, because otherwise it would raise awkward questions about the software in his own head.

The black and white panels of the android’s jacket made it easy to spot as it returned from the fuel station with whatever its human partner preferred to consume. The two of them were scheduled to meet up with part of the human patrol group again soon. Then hopefully Prowl would be assigned to a different aspect of the mission.

Prowl stretched his arms above his head, startling a human who had just climbed out of their car and hadn’t noticed him in the dark. Cybertronians didn’t have to go around in disguise anymore, but being out in the open on Earth still made him nervous sometimes. He transformed back into his patrol car form, which was now less of a disguise and had only needed slight modification to allow for human-sized passengers. He opened his door so it wouldn’t have to touch him more than necessary.

“Thank you,” the android said as it sat down. It held the carefully wrapped food and bottle of some form of liquid in its lap, to Prowl’s relief. Seat crumbs were irritatingly difficult to clean out of oneself.

Prowl remained silent as he pulled back out onto the road and adjusted to the speed limit. It was still laughably low, but then, human reflexes were only so good. And automated cars still weren’t driven everywhere, by everyone.

“So, this leg of the mission will be over soon. You must be looking forward to that,” the android commented.

Prowl barely restrained a sigh, but decided to bite. “Why do you say that?” he asked, using his vocaliser since the components of his throat were spread a bit far for use right now.

“It isn’t exactly a secret that my presence bothers you.”

“‘Bother’ is a strong way of putting it,” Prowl rebutted.

“Perhaps, but not entirely incorrect,” the android replied firmly.

Prowl remained silent for a little longer. “Cybertronians have been considered to be machines by countless organic species since the start of our recorded history, which is the equivalent of millions of Earth years. We differentiated ourselves by basing our personhood on having Sparks.”

“Sparks are your conception of a soul? Arguably, humans don’t have them either. What’s the difference?” it asked as it sat primly in his front seat.

“No, but humans developed sentience and intelligence independently. And besides, they’re organic.”

“What does it matter if I have wires or nerves, fuel or blood, program incentives or hormones?” the android replied calmly. “I’m not claiming to be human. I just want my autonomy to be respected. Me being considered a person doesn’t make you any less of one.”

Prowl didn’t have a logical argument against that. It just felt like a slap in the face when Cybertronians had been persecuted for millennia, even by some humans, because they hadn’t evolved from organic material like most other species that achieved intelligence and sentience. But then, how could he expect a being that had only existed for a few short Earth years to understand any of that?

Some things could only be truly understood through lived experience.

They arrived at the meeting point located in the middle of the desert. The human was already waiting for them in an actual Earth car. Calling it a manual wasn’t exactly accurate when it did have the ability to drive itself. That was another bizarre concept he’d had to acclimate to earlier in the decade. Was he considered less human-like because of the shape he sometimes took?

Did it matter?

The android exited him as soon as Prowl rolled to a halt and opened his door. The human, Detective Gavin Reed, pushed off of the car he’d been leaning against and approached the android. He smiled when presented with the food and drink the android had asked to stop and procure.

“Please tell me we won’t have to spend our next anniversary hunting for alien invaders,” Prowl overheard the human comment quietly.

The android shrugged and leaned in to kiss Gavin on the mouth, brief and chaste. “Here’s hoping.”

They both turned to look at him. It seemed they were holding back for his benefit. Which meant they acknowledged his individuality and comfort. Prowl transformed and knelt so they could conduct the handover before parting ways. This way they wouldn’t have to strain their necks looking up or need to yell to be heard.

He supposed even automation didn’t have to be soulless.


End file.
